


The Photograph

by GingerLyoness



Category: The Hour
Genre: Cute Ending, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-12-23 01:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/920400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerLyoness/pseuds/GingerLyoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Bel and Freddie are re-reading Casino Royale, she finds his bookmark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Photograph

**Author's Note:**

  * For [diaghileafs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaghileafs/gifts).



> My very own Moneypenny, en_dejlig_rosa gave me the prompt 're-reading Casino Royale'. So I did it.

“That Vesper’s a sneaky one, isn’t she?” Freddie mumbled from behind _Casino Royale_ , looking to his left where Bel sat, absorbed in her own copy of the book.

He smiled to himself, knowing that she hadn’t heard him, too focused on the developing plot to listen to his occasional comments. He sighed, standing up from the sofa to head towards Bel’s small kitchen, narrowly avoiding tripping over his shoes on the way.

Bel looked up as she heard his quiet yelp of surprise, pushing her glasses up her nose where they had slipped. Freddie’s battered copy lay on the sofa next to her, the spine cracking from repeated readings.

As she looked at it, she spotted something peeking out of the top corner where he had saved his page. A bookmark, perhaps? She shook her head, bookmarks didn’t look like that. She flipped her own copy upside down to rest over her knees to save the page, before reaching out towards the other copy.

She pushed her finger between the pages, saving the right one before extracting the mysterious object, which she realised was a photo. Flipping it over, she was surprised to see her own face looking back at her, Freddie stood behind her frozen self with a wistful smile on his face.

She frowned, trying to think when it had been taken, a smile forming when she remembered.

 

_Christmas 1953_

_“Come over here, you two, we need a photograph,” Lix called as she walked towards the pair of young journalists, a camera clasped in her hands and a smirk on her face._

_The pair looked at each other, shrugging as they followed Lix to a space where people weren't gathered, standing in front of the hard wood of the door. Freddie leant back against the door, hands in his pockets._

_"Now, come on Freddie, stand up straight at least," Lix scolded lightly, grinning at the young man as he stood up, crossing his arms over his chest as Bel turned to look at him, eyebrow raised in a teasing fashion._

_Just as she was about to turn to face the camera, the shutter clicked loudly, "thank you, that'll do wonderfully," Lix smiled, "now go on, you two go and do whatever it is young people do nowadays."_

_The pair smiled as the older woman retreated, both leaning against the door together as the party continued, using the free drinks to their advantage until they both stumbled home at midnight._

 

Weeks later, two standard 6"x4" prints would mysteriously appear on their desks. Bel remembered putting hers in an album somewhere, though Freddie had never done so, that much was obvious.

She flipped the photo back over, reading the swirled writing on the back, hastily written in blue biro.

_'For the beautiful boy himself - Christmas 1952'._

Bel smiled, it was always some term of endearment or other with Lix, no matter who she was talking to - that was something she liked about the woman, so nonchalant and independent, not giving a care as she went about her business.

She flipped the photo back the right way again, keeping a hold of it as Freddie returned to the sofa, deciding not to say anything as he sat back down next to her.

He looked confused for a moment as he realised he didn't have his book, turning to look at Bel holding the novel and the cherished photograph he kept within it.

She was still looking at it as he took his book from her, shuffling closer to look over her shoulder, "that was our first Christmas party at the office, you remember?" he asked quietly, a fond smile coming over his features.

"Yes, and we got horrifically drunk on the free alcohol," she chuckled, "those cocktails really were awful," she leaned closer to him, their shoulders touching as they both inspected the photo.

"And we fell asleep on the sofa at my flat," he laughed, "and had baked beans and toast for breakfast because my ma and papa had gone out somewhere and that was all I could make."

"Baked beans are still your favourite," she looked up at him briefly, smiling fondly.

"They are indeed," he grinned, leaning back into the sofa cushions before resuming reading.

Bel picked up the photograph, sliding it between the pages of his book as he read, leaning against his shoulder as she lifted her own copy, smiling as he leant his head against hers.


End file.
